


and the flowers overtook her

by hanayou



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Hanahaki Disease, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-28 04:07:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20772260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanayou/pseuds/hanayou
Summary: Hanahaki disease, thought Kaoru idly, was a romantic sort of thing. Something Shakespeare might have written in one of his fabulous tragedies.





	and the flowers overtook her

Hanahaki disease, thought Kaoru idly, was a romantic sort of thing. Something Shakespeare might have written in one of his fabulous tragedies. 

She fingered the yellow rose petal that had fallen from her lips, turning it over in her hand as she mused. Yes, truly something from the Bard’s tragedies. She would never have expected to live through one herself, but fate was a fleeting thing, and her path was not her own. And here she was. Completely, utterly in love, and suffering the consequences. 

Kaoru never planned to fall in love, of course. That isn’t something one can plan. She found it happened suddenly, a bolt of lightning shooting down from the heavens to strike her heart in the most wonderful way possible. It was as they were performing, and her Juliet looked down upon her from the balcony and uttered lines of love. And she knew, then, that she was irrevocably in love, her heart captured by her old childhood friend.

This could have been the start of a great Shakespearean romance, one for the ages. But alas, that was not to be. For Chisato’s heart remained cold as ice towards Kaoru. She already had a lover, the sweet, innocent Kanon, and Kaoru knew she could never compare to a princess like that. Yes, that was what Chisato wanted, a princess, not a prince. And there was nothing she could do about it.

Kaoru supposed her coughing was just a cold, a simple common bug, come to strike her from overwork. She tried to rest, but found she could not, and just involved herself in her work, trying to forget about her heartache. Until the one day she could not ignore it any longer.

Hagumi had joined her on an outing, and they had been having a lovely time, strolling about as Kaoru listened to Hagumi’s chatter. Kaoru did her best to pay attention, she truly did, but the nagging itch in her throat kept distracting her. She raised a slender finger to stroke her neck, hoping she could rub the feeling away, but to no prevail.

She heard then a familiar voice, the soft sweet tones of Kanon talking. Looking over, her heart was struck by the sight of Chisato and Kanon, walking hand in hand. Chisato was smiling, a true and gentle smile Kaoru had not seen in many years.

The itch became too much then, and Kaoru coughed, hard, into her hands. When she brought them away from her face, there was a single golden rose petal lying in her palm, and she knew. She knew there was no turning back now.

“Kaoru-kun, are you okay?” asked Hagumi, voice riddled with concern. “You look kinda pale.”

“Ah, don’t worry for me,” said Kaoru, hiding the petal up her sleeve. “It is but a cold.”

“You should come have some croquettes at my shop, they’ll help you feel better!” And Hagumi dragged Kaoru along to do just that. The croquettes were warm in her stomach, but did nothing to cure the painful feeling spreading in her heart.

Kaoru knew, of course, that hanahaki disease could be cured. It could be operated on, the flowers removed, but along with the flowers went all feelings towards the one who had caused it. And Kaoru would rather accept her fate than do that. Better to love and lose, she thought, than to not love at all.

At practice the next day, Misaki kept eyeing Kaoru with concern as she stifled coughs into her sleeve. After their session was over, the other girl approached Kaoru, something that surprised her, as Misaki didn’t often take the opportunity to speak with her privately.

“Kaoru,” she said in a low voice, “Are you okay? You don’t seem like you’re doing too well.”

“I’m perfectly fine, dear kitten,” Kaoru said, brushing aside her bangs with a hand as she struck a signature pose. “A simple cold cannot overcome a practiced actress such as myself.”

“You don’t have to keep everything in, you know,” Misaki said, still eyeing Kaoru with concern. “I just want to help.”

“Dear kitten,” murmured Kaoru, barely audible, lowering her hand, “if only you could,” and she slipped out the door into the night.

The next day happened to be Kanon’s birthday, and, gift in hand, Kaoru ignored the lingering itch in her throat, the petals longing to come forth, and went to meet her at a Hazawa cafe.

She was not expecting the sight before her as she stepped inside. Chisato, clasping hands with Kanon, professing her love for the other, and then giving her a chaste kiss, in plain view of anyone who cared to see.

Numb, Kaoru waited until they were through to approach the table.

“Oh, Kaoru!” said Kanon, flushing at being caught in an embarrassing moment. 

“Happy birthday, Kanon,” said Kaoru, pulling up her mask long enough to manage a smile as she handed the gift over, before excusing herself and exiting the cafe as quickly as her legs could take her.

Leaning against the wall outside, she coughed, coughed hard, and the petals that came up were spotted with blood. This was the end, then, was it? The last chapter in her story about to begin.

There was drama practice that day, and Kaoru attended, of course. As the star, she had to be there, no matter what might be going on with herself. She felt distant, detached from the world, and simply went through her motions as she recited her lines. There was no passion, no thrill of the performance, for she knew she would never reach it, the day of the play. She hoped they could find another lead role in time, but surely they would manage. There was nothing she could do, after all.

The other girls whispered to each other, and she knew they were concerned about her, but she ignored them and recited line after line, until, finally, the rehearsal was over. As the other girls filed out, Maya approached her, started to ask if she was okay, but Kaoru interrupted her.

“Could you leave a light on the stage, please?” she asked, managing a weak smile. “I would like to practice a bit more by myself.”

“If that’s what you want,” said Maya, concern etched across her features. She did as Kaoru requested, before following the others out. And Kaoru was finally, wonderfully, alone.

She stood there on the stage then, the place she always felt most comfortable, but none of her personas could do anything to mask the pain within her. Falling to her knees, she coughed violently, letting up rose petals stained red with blood. She lay down then, amid the petals, and stared up at the solitary light shining down on her. Still shining right on her, even though her tragedy was drawing to a close.

She could feel the thorns growing inside her, piercing her throat, leaking blood into her lungs. No time left, now.

“Farewell, Chi-chan,” she whispered, a solitary petal falling from her lips, stained red.

She closed her eyes.

And the flowers overtook her.


End file.
